Never Saw Blue Like That: Part 2
by Erin Kaye Hashet
Summary: "Kaitlyn, this is William Mulder. He'll be your lab partner for the year. You two can sit at that table over there."


Never Saw Blue Like That, Part 2/2   
EKHashet@hotmail.com   
  
When we got to Will's house, his mother was standing on the   
porch watering the flowers in the hanging plant.   
  
She turned toward me, and immediately I saw where Will got   
his beautiful blue eyes. "Hi, Will," she said. She was a lot   
older than Adrienne, probably in her late forties or early   
fifties, but still very pretty. She was short and thin, with   
short reddish hair frosted with gray. She smiled at me and   
shook my hand. "You must be Kaitlyn," she said.   
  
"Yes," I said. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Mulder."   
  
"Nice to meet you, too," she replied. "It's Mrs. Scully,   
actually- I go by my maiden name."   
  
"Oh. Well, nice to meet you, Mrs. Scully."   
  
Mrs. Scully looked at Will. "Back so soon? I thought you   
two were going to see a movie."   
  
That impressed me, both that she knew we were going to a   
movie and noticed that we were back early.   
  
"Yeah," replied Will gruffly, his manner changing suddenly.   
He avoided her gaze. "We're watching a movie here."   
  
I looked at him in surprise. He'd been so sweet just a minute   
ago, and now he was all sullen.   
  
"In the basement?" Mrs. Scully asked.   
  
"Yes!" said Will, his voice amazingly annoyed.   
  
"Okay, then," said Mrs. Scully. "We'll leave you alone."   
  
Will rolled his eyes at me as we followed his mother into   
the house. I looked at him quizzically, wondering what was   
up with him.   
  
Will's father was sitting in the living room reading the   
paper, which he put down as we walked in. "Hello, Will."   
He looked at me. "Hello, Kaitlyn."   
  
"Hello, Mr. Mulder," I said. "Nice to meet you." He was a   
tall, thin man with glasses and gray hair. For a man in his   
early fifties, he was handsome.   
  
"Decided not to see the movie after all?" he asked.   
  
"No, it was really bad," I answered. "So we came back   
here."   
  
"Ah." Mr. Mulder smiled. "Have you eaten?"   
  
"No," I said just as Will said, "Yeah."   
  
I looked at him in confusion. He glared at me in   
exasperation. Then he sighed. "No, we haven't eaten."   
  
"Oh. Well, why don't you eat something now?" he said.   
He got up and walked toward the kitchen. "Scully?" he   
called. "Don't we have some leftover pizza?"   
  
"Hold on a minute, Mulder." Mrs. Scully opened the   
refrigerator and pulled out a pizza box. "Yes, we do."   
  
How weird, I thought. His parents called each other by   
their last names. That was a lot less sickening than   
"honey" and "sweetie-pie," which was what Dad and   
Adrienne sometimes called each other- but somehow, when   
Will's parents addressed each other, there was much more   
affection in their names.   
  
"Want me to heat this up for you?" Mrs. Scully asked us.   
  
"Fine," muttered Will. His eyes kept drifting involuntarily   
toward the basement. Hoping to halt the change in attitude   
he'd had ever since we'd arrived at his house, I spoke up, "Um,   
Will, why don't I meet you downstairs, and I'll bring the food   
down?"   
  
Will let out a deep breath. "Fine," he said again, but a bit   
more calmly. Then he turned and started for the basement.   
  
The microwave let out a long "BEEEEP," signaling that the   
pizza was done. Mrs. Scully took it out and put it on a plate.   
"So, Kaitlyn," Mr. Mulder said, "where is it that you moved   
from?"   
  
"Missouri."   
  
"Missouri?" Mrs. Scully looked at me. "I lived there once."   
  
"Really?" I asked.   
  
"Yeah, when I was a kid," she answered. "My dad was in the   
navy, so we moved a *lot.*" She rolled her eyes as if to   
emphasize how much.   
  
"Me, too," I said softly. "My dad's in the army."   
  
"Really!" Mrs. Scully smiled. "You know, you look a little   
like me when I was your age- same height, same hair color."   
  
I caught sight of myself in the nearest window and   
couldn't believe that. "I bet you didn't have teeth like this," I   
said, pointing out the buck teeth that braces hadn't quite   
fixed yet.   
  
"Are you kidding?" Mrs. Scully laughed out loud. "I had   
braces for almost three years. My brother Bill teased me to   
no end about my teeth."   
  
I smiled a little. My brothers were like that, too- they were   
always calling me Rabbit or Bucky the Beaver.   
  
"Do you have any brothers or sisters, Kaitlyn?" Mrs. Scully   
asked me.   
  
"A brother and two stepbrothers," I said, and somehow I felt   
comfortable enough to add, "but we don't really get along."   
  
She threw me a look of sympathy. "That's too bad," she said.   
"It's good to get along with your siblings when you move a   
lot."   
  
"Did you?" I asked her.   
  
"Sometimes." She gave a sad smile. "I became very close to my   
sister over the years, though. She's been dead for more than   
twenty years now, and I still miss her." Abruptly she turned   
away and picked up the plate.   
  
"I'm sorry," I said gently. I tried to think of something to say   
next, and could only come up with, "My mother is dead, too."   
  
"I'm sorry." Mrs. Scully handed me the plate. "You never   
really get over losing a family member," she said. "I miss my   
father and my sister every day." She turned away. I got the   
odd feeling that she didn't usually open up this much to   
people she'd just met.   
  
"Thank you for the pizza," I said.   
  
"You're welcome." She turned back toward me. "It was a   
pleasure to meet you, Kaitlyn."   
  
"Pleasure to meet you, too."   
  
"There's soda down in the basement if you two want it,"   
Mr. Mulder called to me as I headed downstairs. "Blue   
cooler. You can't miss it."   
  
"Thank you," I called over my shoulder.   
  
My mind was bursting with questions as I headed down   
the basement steps. Why had I just had a more meaningful   
conversation with a woman I'd known for five minutes than   
I'd ever had with a man I'd known for fourteen years? What   
was so bad about Will's parents that Will couldn't wait to   
get into the basement away from them? *Why in the world   
would Will hate his parents?*   
  
Will was sitting in front of the TV and sorting through   
videos with his back to me as I came down the basement   
stairs. I set the pizza down on the coffee table, and he   
turned toward me. "Hey," he said to me, reaching for a   
slice. "Sorry about my parents."   
  
I stared at him, not comprehending in the least. "What do   
you mean, sorry about your parents?"   
  
"Ah, you know." He waved his hand absently. "They can be   
annoying."   
  
"They weren't annoying," I protested. "They weren't   
annoying at all. I was just talking to them."   
  
Will smiled. "Yeah, well, you don't live with them."   
  
"Well, what are they like when you *do* live with them?"   
  
Will exhaled. "They're just-" he paused. "They're always   
*there*, you know? They never leave me alone. They know   
every single little thing about me- I can't keep any secrets   
from them. And I'm an only child, so they focus all their   
attention on me."   
  
I stared at him incredulously. "That's it? *That's* why you   
hate your parents?"   
  
"Well, not just that." Will sighed. "My parents are   
*weird*, Kaitlyn. They may have seemed normal just now,   
but believe me, they're not."   
  
I raised my eyebrows. "How so?"   
  
"Well." Will let out a deep breath as if he was just   
beginning a long story. "Do you know what my mother   
does for a living, kaitlyn?" He didn't wait for me to answer.   
"She's an assistant director of the F.B.I. But do you know   
what section she's in charge of?" Again, he didn't wait for me   
to answer. "She's the boss of this section called the X-Files. It   
investigates all these 'supernatural' cases." When he said   
"supernatural" he made quotation marks with his fingers. "You   
know, aliens and monsters and stuff. It's ridiculous. That's how   
my parents met, actually- they were partners on the X-Files   
before I was born. That's why they call each other by their   
last names- don't get me started on that." Will rolled his eyes.   
"But they always tell me about things that happened to them   
before I was born, and the scary thing is that they actually   
*believe* them."   
  
I didn't say anything. I've always kind of half-believed in aliens   
myself. I think it comes from being good at science.   
  
"Like, supposedly," Will continued, "my dad was abducted by   
aliens while my mom was pregnant with me, and when he was   
returned he was dead for three months until my mom brought   
him back to life. And they said when I was born my mom had to go   
out to the boonies to have me because aliens with spines of steel   
were trying to take me from her." He began to tick off other   
abnormalities on his fingers. "They say my mom had a chip   
implanted in her neck, they say my dad had an alien virus, they   
say they've been trapped in a haunted house, they say they've   
known a man who could squeeze through floor vents-" Will   
gave me a look. "They say they were attacked by killer cats   
that live in the sewer. And they believe it. Honestly, I think   
they might have some mental problems."   
  
I waited about five seconds before speaking. "So you hate your   
parents because you think they're weird."   
  
"I think they're weird and I think they're annoying," he replied.   
  
"Weird and annoying," I repeated flatly. In spite of myself, I was   
starting to get angry at him. "Will, do you know how much I   
would give for my biggest problem to be that my parents are   
*weird*? Do you have any idea how much I would love to hate my   
parents because they *focus all their attention on me*?" My voice   
rose higher and higher as I spoke until I was almost yelling.   
  
Will looked at me, surprised. "Hey," he said softly, "Kaitlyn,   
I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset." He moved closer to   
me. "What's so bad about your parents?"   
  
I sighed. I really didn't feel like explaining. After all, we were   
on a date. We were supposed to be having fun, not complaining   
about our parents. "Oh, I don't want to talk about it," I said   
finally. "Let's just watch a movie."   
  
"Okay." We looked through the various titles in silence.   
Finally, Will looked at me. "Are you mad at me?" he asked.   
  
My face broke into a smile. Of course I wasn't- how could I   
possibly be mad at someone with such an adorable puppy-dog   
face? "No," I said, "I'm not mad at you."   
  
He looked at me hopefully. "So- does that mean you'll say yes   
if I ask you to the Spring Fling?"   
  
I looked at him, speechless with shock. "What?"   
  
"Will you-" Will looked at me uncertainly. "Will you go to the   
Spring Fling with me?"   
  
Being asked to a school dance had always been one of those   
vague wouldn't-it-be-great-if dreams, like winning the lottery.   
I'd always watched girls get dressed up for and discuss their   
dates to school dances, while I sat quietly aside, the nerdy   
new girl who no one would ever ask. Was it really happening   
to me now? It seemed too much to hope for.   
  
I realized suddenly that a long time had passed since Will had   
spoken. "Yes," I breathed. "Yes, I'll go."   
  
"Great." Will gave me his gorgeous smile. Meanwhile, my head   
was spinning in ecstasy. I was going to a dance! I'd have to get   
a dress, shoes, maybe get my hair done-   
  
"Hey," said Will, "we still have to pick out a movie."   
  
"Oh, okay." I sorted through various Disney movies, then   
picked up a video tape without a label. "Hey, what's this?"   
  
Will glanced at it and rolled his eyes. "Oh, it's *Plan Nine   
From Outer Space,*" he said. "It's considered the worst movie   
of all time, and my Dad's seen it like three hundred times. I told   
you my parents were weird."   
  
* * *   
The Spring Fling was the freshman/sophomore end-of-the-   
year dance, and took place in late June. The day before the   
dance, the freshman class had an assembly where the   
teachers gave out academic awards. I was sitting with Will   
and some of his friends, some of whom had gotten awards. I   
was congratulating them, but mostly I was trying to ignore   
the stupid kids behind me who kept yelling out, "Hey, where's   
*my* award?"   
  
I wasn't expecting to win anything. After all, I hadn't been in   
the school for very long, and all of the awards designated   
the best student in a certain subject for the entire grade. If   
I'd get anything, I thought, it would be for science. But Will   
was the one who ended up with that award.   
  
I smiled at him when he came back to his seat.   
"Congratulations," I whispered.   
  
"Thanks," he whispered back.   
  
"And now for our final award," announced Ms. Larson, who   
was acting as emcee, from the stage. "This is not an award we   
give out without some serious thought. Every teacher has a   
say in choosing the winner of our All-Around Academic   
Achievement Award. It is given to a student who we feel has   
demonstrated superior achievement in *all* areas. This year,   
we all felt it was a pretty clear-cut choice. "   
  
"Oh, it's gotta be me," said the kid behind me sarcastically.   
  
"What makes this award all the more special," Ms. Larson   
continued, "is that the recipient of this award is a transfer   
student who had to spend much of her own time studying   
material that she hadn't had in her old school. I am very   
proud to give this year's Freshman All-Around Academic   
Achievement Award to. . .Kaitlyn Taylor."   
  
My jaw dropped as everyone around me started to   
applaud. Still amazed, I made my way up to the stage. Ms.   
Larson handed me a HUGE certificate and gave me a hug.   
"Congratulations, Kaitlyn," she said. "Well-deserved."   
  
When I got back to my seat, Will hugged me, too. "I knew   
you'd get it," he whispered. "This is awesome."   
  
It *was* awesome. In fact, I couldn't stop smiling as I looked   
at the award in my hands. It was moments like these that   
made all those hours of studying worth it. I was very proud   
of myself.   
  
At home I tacked the certificate to the wall of my room,   
right above my bed.   
  
The next night, I admired my reflection in my mirror. My long   
blue dress was beautiful, my makeup was perfect, and my hair   
was exquisite- done up in a mass of twists and coils. Will   
would be here any minute. Since my house was within walking   
distance of school and neither of us wanted our parents   
driving us to the dance, he was going to walk to my house and   
then walk with me.   
  
The doorbell rang downstairs, and I ran to answer it. "Hi,   
Will," I exclaimed. "Oh, my God, you look great!" And he did.   
He was cute enough in regular clothes, but in a suit, with his   
hair nicely combed? Dazzling.   
  
"You look more than great," he said to me with a smile.   
"You're gorgeous."   
  
I smiled happily. "Just let me talk to my parents." I went into   
the kitchen, and Will followed me.   
  
Dad and Adrienne were yelling at Mike and Ricky to stop   
chasing each other around the kitchen table. Adrienne was   
swearing at them. "You SIT DOWN RIGHT NOW!" she screamed   
as they went on running.   
  
"Boys, you eat your dinner!" Dad was ordering them.   
  
"Uh, Dad?" I yelled to be heard. "Dad, I'll be home by eleven,   
okay?"   
  
"Okay," he said without even looking up. "If you don't sit   
down right now-"   
  
Will chose that moment to introduce himself. "Hello, Mr.   
Taylor," he said conversationally.   
  
Dad looked at him like he'd just noticed that he was there.   
"Oh, hi. . .Ed, is it?"   
  
"Uh, Will," he corrected. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Taylor."   
  
"Oh, nice to meet you, too," he said just as Mike and Ricky   
finally sat down at the table. With nothing else to   
concentrate on, Dad turned his attention to us. "So, you're   
going to a dance?"   
  
"Yeah," I said.   
  
"Oh, good," Dad replied.   
  
"What did you do with your award, Kaitlyn?" Will asked me   
out of the blue.   
  
I looked at him, surprised. "Uh, I put it in my room," I   
answered, bewildered.   
  
"What award?" asked Dad.   
  
Will looked shocked. "You didn't tell them?" he asked me.   
  
"Uh, I got an award for achievement in school yesterday,"   
I told Dad and Adrienne quickly.   
  
"Oh, isn't that nice," said Adrienne lightly. "Mike, why are   
you not eating your meat?"   
  
"Honestly, boys," added Dad, turning his attention back to   
them, "we try to make you food you like."   
  
Will's eyes had been growing wider and wider during this   
conversation. "Don't you even *CARE*?!" he suddenly exploded.   
  
Dad and Adrienne dragged their eyeballs away from the   
twin terrors. Now he had their full attention.   
  
"Your daughter got the biggest academic award that you   
can *get* in our grade, and you barely look up? Do you even   
care about her at all?" he went on furiously.   
  
"Will," I said under my breath. This was getting a little   
embarrassing.   
  
But he went on. "*I* got an award- a much smaller award   
than the one Kaitlyn got, and my parents put in a frame and   
took me out to dinner! And *you* just go right on with your   
business when your daughter gets straight A's even though   
she moves all the time, and is also the sweetest person I've ever   
met?"   
  
Dad and Adrienne were staring at Will like he wasn't speaking   
English. Finally, Will turned and walked out to the front   
porch.   
  
"Will!" I called, and ran after him.   
  
When I caught up with him, he was sitting on my front step. He   
turned and looked at me as I sat down next to him. "Kaitlyn, you   
have just made me feel like the biggest jerk," he said softly.   
  
I was taken aback. "Will-" I began.   
  
"You were so right," he said. "I do have great parents." He   
sighed. "My God, I have been such a spoiled brat."   
  
"You're not a brat," I protested, putting an arm around him.   
We stood up and began to walk, and he put an arm around me,   
too.   
  
"Yes, I am," he countered. Then he sighed. "Kaitlyn, how do   
you put up with them?"   
  
"Ah, you get used to them," I said lightly. I was determined   
not to let my family ruin the Spring Fling for me. "And you   
are *not* a jerk, Will. You are the sweetest guy I've ever   
met."   
  
He smiled at me. "And you're the sweetest girl *I've* ever   
met." He took a step closer. "And the prettiest." His head   
started to move closer to me. "And the. . ."   
  
And before I knew it, his lips were touching mine in my very   
first kiss.   
  
For the rest of the night I floated on the magic of that kiss.   
I couldn't tell you how the cafeteria was decorated, how   
anyone else was dressed, what songs they played. The only   
thought in my mind was *I love Will.*   
  
When I came home that night (still floating), the kitchen   
light was on. I took off my shoes and earrings when I got   
inside, and went into the kitchen.   
  
Then I stopped short. On the refrigerator door was my   
award, surrounded by a sheet of blue construction paper.   
  
"Congratulations, Kaitlyn," Dad said softly. He was   
standing by the kitchen table.   
  
I swallowed. "Thanks," I said uncomfortably. I had no idea   
what else to say. There was a long silence. Then Dad walked   
over to me and put a hand on my shoulder.   
  
"You know, Adrienne and I have read plenty of psychology   
books," he said. "To help us figure out how to deal with   
Sebastian, Mike and Ricky. They all said that children seek   
negative attention." He paused. "I don't think it ever occurred   
to us that one of our children might be seeking positive   
attention."   
  
There was another awkward silence. These moments where   
we talked were so rare that when they occurred I never   
knew what to say.   
  
"You're a smart girl," he continued finally, "and you work   
very hard, and you have a lot to put up with. We're very proud   
of you for everything, and if we haven't made that clear   
enough, I am truly sorry, Kaitlyn."   
  
I looked at him. "It's okay," I said, and it was true. That was   
all I had needed- him saying those words. I smiled and said it   
again. "It's okay."   
  
* * *   
One day that summer, I walked to the front door of Will's   
house. Before I got to the front door, I looked at the sky, and   
let the tears in my eyes run backwards.   
  
Mr. Mulder was at the door when I walked through it. "Hi,   
Kaitlyn," he said to me.   
  
"Hello, Mr. Mulder," I said to him, and without thinking, I   
hugged him. A bit surprised, he hugged me back. I walked further   
into the house, into the kitchen. Mrs. Scully was standing there.   
I didn't even have to say anything to her- I think she could see it   
in my eyes.   
  
"Oh, no." She reached out and put her hand on my shoulder and   
looked me in the eye. "Kaitlyn, I'm so sorry."   
  
"So am I," I managed around a lump in my throat.   
  
"Will's down in the basement," she said with a sad smile.   
  
I made my way down the basement steps. Will was sitting on the   
couch, but he got up as he saw me. I walked toward him. Maybe   
he's inherited some of his mother's psychic abililty, for I could   
see in his eyes that he knew before I said it that what I'd always   
known could happen had happened. Nevertheless, I said it.   
  
"I'm moving," I said, unable to contain my loud sobs as I fell into   
his arms.   
  
* * *   
I wrote to Will almost as soon as I moved into my new house in   
Washington. I told him about my relationship with my parents   
improving, and then wrote, "I know everyone says that long-   
distance relationships never last, but let's   
prove them wrong. I don't want to lose you, Will."   
  
I was afraid he wouldn't agree with me, maybe that he wouldn't   
even write back. But, proving to me why I didn't want to lose him,   
he did.   
  
"I'm so glad you're getting along with your parnets better," he   
wrote to me in his first letter. "Kaitlyn, I would never want to   
lose you. For the rest of my life, I could never hope to meet   
someone like you. I thank God I had the opportunity to know you.   
I see everything so differently now. You really taught me not to   
take what I have for granted. That's why I'm going to tell you   
the same thing I just told my parents.   
  
"I love you."   
  
The End   
  
  
Please, PLEASE review this story! Feedback is always important   
to me, but it's more important for this one than any others for a   
couple of reasons. First of all, this is a fanfic only in the   
loosest definition of the word, so it lets me know how   
effective I am at original characterization and plot- basically,   
how good of an original writer I am. And second of all,   
Kaitlyn is a character very close to my heart because she's   
so much like me when I was younger. (Thankfully, my home   
situation was nothing like hers, but I was smart and buck-   
toothed like she was.) So, please tell me   
truthfully what you think of this story. If it means being cruel,   
so be it. My address is EKHashet@hotmail.com   
  
And now, here are the lyrics to the song from which the story   
gets its title. It's a beautiful song, and I just thought it worked   
for this story on a number of levels.   
  
Never Saw Blue Like That   
written by Tom Kimmel, Jeff Franzel, and Mark Luna   
Peformed by Shawn Colvin   
  
Today   
We took a walk   
Up the street   
We picked a flower   
And climbed the hill above the lake   
And secret thoughts   
Were said aloud   
We watched the faces in the clouds   
Until the clouds were blown away   
And were we ever somewhere else?   
You know, it's hard to say   
And I never saw blue like that before   
Across the sky   
Around the world   
You're giving me all you have and more   
And no one else has ever shown me how   
To see the world the way I see it now   
Oh I, I never saw blue like that   
I can't believe   
A month ago   
I was alone   
I didn't know you   
I hadn't seen you   
Or heard your name   
And even now   
I'm so amazed   
It's like a dream   
It's like a rainbow   
It's like the rain   
And some things are the way they are   
And words just can't explain   
'Cause I never saw blue like that before   
Across the sky   
Around the world   
You're giving me all you have and more   
And no one else has ever shown me how   
To see the world the way I see it now   
Oh I, I never saw blue like that before   
And it feels like now   
And it feels always   
And it feels like coming home   
I never saw blue like that before   
Across the sky   
Around the world   
You're giving me all you have and more   
And no one else has ever shown me how   
To see the world the way I see it now   
Oh I, I never saw blue like that before   
Oh I, I never saw blue like that...


End file.
